Green but Game » Storm Cat

Street Sense walking back to the barn after the Classic (o_crunk)

When I arrived home tonight I noticed a box in the “mail area” of the apartment. I sort of assumed it was from my mom given that she’s been sending me xmas presents for at least a week now.

When I looked at the box it it was from Bloodhorse. “Did my mom get me something from Bloodhorse?” “How would she know to get me something from Bloodhorse?” This confusion went on until I saw the ‘Open Immediately - 2008 Stallion Register enclosed’ (like it might go bad).

First of all, I didn’t know they even published such a thing (remember, green) and second of all I didn’t know they would just send one to all subscribers. I also recently got a fancy Coolmore catalog (why, I’m not sure)… marketing at this level of the game gives Haute Couture a run for it’s money (pun intended).

As I was thumbing through it, noting who I thought was cute (all of them), naturally went I looking for some of my favorites. I was hoping Invasor & Hard Spun would have the standard stately pose in front of an idyllic pasture with a perfectly aged fence (Storm Cat), or in front of a souped up Colonial with Georgian columns (Perfect Soul - IRE), but alas they’re newbies, so they have racing pictures.

Invasor’s pic is from the Breeders’ Cup, natch, while Street Sense’s is from the Derby. It sort of looks like the Yum Brand logo is a cartoon speech bubble coming out of Calvin Borel’s mouth as he reaches towards the sky right after crossing the finish.

Sure, it’s fun to analyze it as a marketing tool while simultaneously disturbing to observe it as an effective cog in a well oiled machine. But the real deal can’t be any more clear than it is on the Street Sense page… “Bred to be a Stallion”. Clearly a selling point and clearly problem number 1 in the long list of problems with thoroughbred horse racing as a sport.

This sentiment was also echoed in something that Alan at Left at the Gate pointed out over the weekend. It would be different in the case of the catalog if this sentiment was confined to the breeding industry, but it’s not… it’s clear that it’s the motivating factor for the majority of decisioning, at least for some… and definitely too many.

Posted by dana on Dec 11 2007
Filed Under: 2007, Greed, Storm Cat, Invasor, Street Sense, Breeding, Let Horses Race, Hard Spun, Racing

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Classy & Classic

It was a gorgeous warm day at Belmont. Swifty & I got there in record time. He didn’t get a chance to handicap so getting there an hour before the first race really helped.

Usually our routine is that we talk through the horses, watch the parade, go to the windows and then have the “what did you do?” chat back at the seats. We rarely go to the windows together. After putting in our bets for the first race he said “The clerk at my window said to me ‘I like your glasses and shirt, classy and classic’.” It’s good to be back at Belmont!

It seemed to be more crowded than usual, which is always good to see, although it also seemed like the crowd thinned out considerably before the Man o’ War… those people missed a great race! It also seemed like the payouts for the 3 stakes races were a little higher than I expected so perhaps there was more attendance than normal.

Some notable moments included:

4th Race - $35k Claiming
There were quite a few class drops and older horses, Gigli, a 9yo owned and trained by Bobby Frankel is both. 7yo Unigold was also dropping in class and 6yo Noah A was the horse for the course. Gigli is a beauty and looked great in the parade, she ran about 7 lengths from the leaders and closed impressively on the inside to beat Noah A by a half a length with Unigold not too far behind.

5th Race - $52k Maiden Special Weigh for 2yo Fillies
Catmosphere ($22.80) pulled off a nice win with Madam Bling ($12) also running an impressive race for place. The exacta paid $336, it was just like being at Saratoga! Swifty had Catmosphere to win… Storm Cat is her sire and her trainer Alan Goldberg is clearly a turf (22%) and maiden (20%) specialist. All things I chose to overlook in favor of going for jockey/trainer combos. I had WPS bets on Prairie Melody & Gulchstream.

Of the 3 G1s, the Garden City and Man o’ War were the stand outs. We both skipped wagering on the Ruffian, good thing because we both liked Take D’ Tour.

We also both tried our hands at the guaranteed Pick 4 but were out of it in the first race when Alexander Tango pulled a mild yet not surprising upset. She looked INCREDIBLE in the parade, Missvinski also looked good. We both had Missvinski & Rutherienne.

As for the race itself, I liked a lot of them, Missvinski, Rutherienne, Sharp Susan, Bit of Whimsy & Valbenny. I had various exactas including all of them but my problem was I had Rutherienne in all of them. They were all boxes because I expected her to be off her form a bit, but not come in last! It was a really, really slow pace. I also neglected to factor in (ignored) that not only had Alexander Tango placed in G2 to colts, but the winner of that race placed in the Epsom Derby.

Thankfully I did well in the Man o’ War. I had a decent wager on the winning the exacta, I also had exactas of Sunriver and Dr. Dino with Trippi’s Storm plus a win bet on Trippi’s Storm. Dr. Dino and Sunriver looked great! I did manage to factor in that they both do well on firm turf… the turf is definitely firm at Belmont right now!

Besides a great day of racing, it was good to be “home”. Saratoga is a gorgeous getaway but I love Belmont. I love the layout, the grandstand and the definite 1970’s flair of the surroundings. I’m hoping to get out there early one day and take some photos, there are a lot of stellar visual details. At one point the Billy Joel song “Just the way you are” popped into my head. Given the reports on the new PID, I sincerely hope the new NYRA deal doesn’t mess up our beloved Belmont… Classy and a Classic, in it’s own way of course.

Posted by dana on Sep 09 2007
Filed Under: Sharp Susan, Wrap Up, Rutherienne, Storm Cat, Garden City, Alexander Tango, Valbenny, That's Why They Call it Gambling, Belmont, Bobby Frankel, 2007, Racing